Same TL as my previous post.
I highly doubt Rockefeller, a liberal republican with an Asian-American running mate, would sweep the south.
Alternate Wikipedia Infoboxes V (Do Not Post Current Politics Here)
- Status
I highly doubt Rockefeller, a liberal republican with an Asian-American running mate, would sweep the south.
That adds up to 99.52% - it's probably fine, just anal about numbers for some reason.
Rockefeller’s would never win the south.
Same TL as my previous post.
With a liberal republican and a liberal democrat I would assume there would be a southern party or something (Dixiecrat 2 electric boogaloo)
Not very realistic as Rockefeller is too liberal to have won the south, so there'd probably be Dixiecrats or something, but the infobox is well-made so I'll give you props for that.
Same TL as my previous post.
I think the remaining 0.48% is for third parties
The reign of Christian I was marked by not just turbulence at home in America, but around the world. The Great Depression, Second World War, and the beginning of the three-way Cold War between the Kingdom of America, the Republic of China, and Soviet Union would all occur during his time as King of America. Working with Prime Ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Christian I managed to preserve and continue to strengthen America's role in the world.
Yeah I'm not good with the percentages, I used a vote percentage calculator. I thought about adding Wallace but I changed my mind.
Yeah I should've added a third party. Might go back and change it..
Judging by the date of birth and date of death, he should be 75 at the time of death.
The Joint Military Action Clause of the All-American Alliance Treaty allows for any member nation of the Alliance of Sovereign American States to request military action by all other members. Joint action is only taken following a majority vote of all active member states excluding the requesting state. The clause is superseded by the Mutual Defense Clause, which mandates automatic defense of any nation that has been attacked, without a vote. The clause has been invoked nine times, passing six times.
The first invocation of the clause was in 1975, when New York requested collective defense in Antarctica, where its Roosevelt Land overseas territory had been threatened by France. Although the standoff had been escalating, New York could not invoke the Mutual Defense Clause and instead requested Joint Military Action. All 12 other member states approved the action and dispatched forces to Antarctica to support New York against France.
The third invocation was the most significant. In 1984, Newfoundland requested a peacekeeping mission to intervene in last days of the English Revolution and oversee the transition to Republican England. The action was approved unanimously and a large force was sent to England. The display of power in Europe was proof to the world that the disparate American states could work together and engage on equal footing with European powers. Additionally, it signaled a break with French and Russian power as the first global action of the emerging American bloc.
In 1997, Borealia requested assistance in defending Hong Kong, which was due to be turned over to China under the terms of a historical treaty between China and the United Kingdom. Negotiations for the transfer of power had broken down in the last few years and it was now the position of both Hong Kong and the Commonwealth that it should not be turned over. The decision passed narrowly, 9-7. Despite the closeness of the vote, it was the first international deployment of the Continental Army since its inception in 1991. The member states which voted against declined to send their own forces in addition to the Continental Army.
The first failed votes for joint action were the twin 2011 votes for intervention in the Mexican Civil War. Texas moved to intervene for the government-in-exile, while Florida moved for the military government. Though both votes failed, the motion introduced by Texas failed on a tie vote, 9-9. The number in favor of intervention was 10 with Texas, but this was not enough per the text of the JMAC. Texas appealed to the Alliance Court but was overruled. Consequently, Texas, California, the United Provinces, and Yucatán decided to send their own national troops to Mexico, in violation of the Alliance Treaty. As a result of ignoring an Alliance vote, the four nations voided their rights to the Mutual Defense Clause for the duration of their intervention.
The most recent vote was in 2016 when Texas requested collective defense to stop the flow of refugees coming from Mexico and parts of South America following recent wars. The highly controversial request failed 6-12-1, with Mexico abstaining as the decision pertained to Mexico somewhat. Texas continued to use its military on its southern border with Mexico and did not violate the Alliance Treaty in doing so, as it was deemed "a civil action with military support" and not a military action outright.
The first invocation of the clause was in 1975, when New York requested collective defense in Antarctica, where its Roosevelt Land overseas territory had been threatened by France. Although the standoff had been escalating, New York could not invoke the Mutual Defense Clause and instead requested Joint Military Action. All 12 other member states approved the action and dispatched forces to Antarctica to support New York against France.
The third invocation was the most significant. In 1984, Newfoundland requested a peacekeeping mission to intervene in last days of the English Revolution and oversee the transition to Republican England. The action was approved unanimously and a large force was sent to England. The display of power in Europe was proof to the world that the disparate American states could work together and engage on equal footing with European powers. Additionally, it signaled a break with French and Russian power as the first global action of the emerging American bloc.
In 1997, Borealia requested assistance in defending Hong Kong, which was due to be turned over to China under the terms of a historical treaty between China and the United Kingdom. Negotiations for the transfer of power had broken down in the last few years and it was now the position of both Hong Kong and the Commonwealth that it should not be turned over. The decision passed narrowly, 9-7. Despite the closeness of the vote, it was the first international deployment of the Continental Army since its inception in 1991. The member states which voted against declined to send their own forces in addition to the Continental Army.
The first failed votes for joint action were the twin 2011 votes for intervention in the Mexican Civil War. Texas moved to intervene for the government-in-exile, while Florida moved for the military government. Though both votes failed, the motion introduced by Texas failed on a tie vote, 9-9. The number in favor of intervention was 10 with Texas, but this was not enough per the text of the JMAC. Texas appealed to the Alliance Court but was overruled. Consequently, Texas, California, the United Provinces, and Yucatán decided to send their own national troops to Mexico, in violation of the Alliance Treaty. As a result of ignoring an Alliance vote, the four nations voided their rights to the Mutual Defense Clause for the duration of their intervention.
The most recent vote was in 2016 when Texas requested collective defense to stop the flow of refugees coming from Mexico and parts of South America following recent wars. The highly controversial request failed 6-12-1, with Mexico abstaining as the decision pertained to Mexico somewhat. Texas continued to use its military on its southern border with Mexico and did not violate the Alliance Treaty in doing so, as it was deemed "a civil action with military support" and not a military action outright.
I know what the map looks like but I haven't drawn it yet. Might do that next.
I would like to see all the flags of the ASAS, and am excited to eventually see the map.
Well, if an English Revolution requires a more or less pan-American peacekeeping mission, and the Republicans succeed in i, what sort of Republic is England ITTL? Communist? A "democratic" republic like Revolutionary France , maybe even with a new calendar? Does any nation use the French Revolutionary Calendar ITTL?
The post-revolution state was supposed to be a real democracy, though it didn't stay that way. No one uses the French Revolutionary Calendar.
The the national and global turbulence that King Christian I went through during his reign, Christian II would only seem to inherit. Prime Ministers such as John F. Kennedy, George Romney, and Pierre Trudeau worked hard to combat the Kingdom of America's two main rivals in the ongoing Cold War: the communist Soviet Union and the nationalist Republic of China, who themselves were rivals competing for dominance in Eurasia and Africa. By end of the 1960s however, the Sino-Soviet border clashes turned to all-out war, which would prove to be the deadliest one fought since World War II.
America and her allies would act as mediators throughout the conflict until its end in 1978. The Soviets had claimed victory over China, but this settlement would only come about when King Christian and Prime Minister Trudeau agreed to host a summit between the two warring nations. With China now down and out of the Cold War, competition would only increase between America and the Soviet Union, competition which would sadly not see its end during King Christian's lifetime.
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Just Three Unrelated Wikiboxes:
If the Colonel had never punched out his own client in front of a judge while practicing law in Arkansas…
Pic: https://imgur.com/AxMq6RJ.png
Davey Sanders was an American politician who served as President of the United States from 1934 to 1945, roughly 11 years, longer than any other president. Domestically, President Sanders established worker programs to combat the Great Depression in his first term, and increased sanitation and safety standards in his second, along with promoting “good eatin’, good faith, and good doin’s” throughout his administration. Overseas, Sanders led the US to war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and was hailed for his leadership skills in concerning both the European and Pacific theaters of World War II. Shortly after beginning an unprecedented fourth term (his third elected term), Sanders died in office when he choked to death on a piece of chicken that he himself had prepared and cooked. Davey Sanders’ diverse background, jovial personality, optimistic attitude, and “everyman” demeanor resonated with the American people and ultimately led to him being seen as an iconic American both then and now – he is often ranked by polls and scholars as one of America’s Top Five greatest presidents.
Early Life (1890-1910)
Sanders was born in southern Indiana to Indianan parents. After his father died in 1895, his mother remarried, and Sanders went to live with an uncle to escape his stepfather’s abuse. Sanders dropped out of school at the start of the seventh grade due to his inability to understand algebra, and began working odd jobs on farms and towns across the Midwest. Sanders would hold a number of jobs in his early life, serving as a steam engine stoker in Alabama and an insurance salesman in Alabama before finding success in politics. After a brief stint in the Army from late 1906 to early 1907, Sanders began a career working on railroad lines for various companies. In 1909, Sanders found work laboring on the Norfolk and Western Railway lines, during which time he met and married Josephine King of Alabama. The couple ultimately had two daughters (Margaret Sanders 1910-2001; Mildred Sanders 1919-2010) and a son (Harland David Sanders Jr. 1912-2003). After working on the Illinois Central Railroad and moving with his new and growing family to Jackson, Tennessee, Sanders began studying law by correspondence through the La Salle Extension University in order to follow better employment prospects, and ultimately settled down with his family in Arkansas.
“Lawyerin’ Years” (1910-1922)
Sander’s law career began in the early-to-mid-1910s when he began practicing law in Little Rock, Arkansas. His legal career soared when he won a court case over a more academically qualified prosecutor; he subsequently retired from the railroad business to focus on law full-time.
Political Beginning (1922-1928)
In 1922, he successfully ran for a local office, and then successfully ran for the state senate in 1924. In 1926, he mounted a bid for Lieutenant Governor and won the Democratic primary against fellow state senator Harvey Parnell; Sanders was unopposed in the general election. Around this time, he began using the nickname "Davey" in order to emulate Davy Crockett.
Governorship (1928-1933)
In March 1928, Arkansas’ Governor Martineau resigned to take a federal judgeship seat, making Sanders the state’s 29th Governor. At the age of 37, Sanders was uncertain of his ability to lead, especially as he had never he held political office just seven years prior. Nevertheless, his charisma and energy won attention from the Democratic party’s southern leaders, whom invited him to give a speech at the 1928 DNC. At the convention, Sanders gave a rousing speech on behalf of US Senator Walter F. George of Georgia, possibly contributing to George winning the nomination over Governor Al Smith of New York (as a strongly “dry” politician, Sanders supported prohibition); Sanders received one delegate vote for VP.
The attention from the DNC speech boosted Sanders’ popularity, which helped him win a full term in November 1928 despite George concurrently losing the Presidential election to Herbert Hoover. Governor Sanders pushed through several progressive reforms that were popular in rural areas of the state. These reforms included expansion and modernization of the highway system and the public school system, both of which were issues to which Sanders personally connected. When the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression ravaged the Arkansas economy, Sanders’ “Work For Wellness” public works programs meant to limit unemployment were praised and he won the 1930 Democratic nomination by a landslide. His second term saw Arkansas become one of the more economically well-off states in the South, leading to its population rising as more entered seeking employment. This led to him increasing the number of “Work For Wellness” programs to accommodate the new residents. After talks with his wife and US Congressman Harvey Parnell, Sanders came to support women’s suffrage and appointed Hattie Caraway to a vacant seat in the US Senate in November 1931.
Vice Presidency (1933-1934)
In 1932, Al Smith ran “one more time” for the Democratic nomination, and won over Cordell Hull and John Nance Garner. Smith then reached out to “the peaceful warrior” Sanders, and offered him the VP slot despite Smith blaming Sanders for losing the nomination in 1928. However, Smith recognized the need to have the support of the party’s southern voters. Some historians, however, allege that Smith’s team did not expect Sanders to accept. Regardless, in the 1932 election, Smith/Sanders won by a surprisingly narrow margin.
In January, President-Elect Smith was shot and wounded by a Protestant extremist, but recovered and was sworn-in as America’s first Catholic President. As VP, Sanders was excluded from most cabinet meetings due to his opposition to Smith repealing Prohibition in 1933, but rather than complain, he began visiting states on behalf of the administration. Sander supported Smith’s 90-day prices-and-wages freeze of 1933, though. Later that year, Sanders began covering for the President as he began to fail to attend D.C. events. Smith was in failing health from the long-term effects of the bullet wounds left by the attempt on his life. Initially expecting a full recovery, his health only slowly worsened. On February 28, 1934, less than one year into office, Smith died, and Sanders was sworn into office at the age of 43, making him the second-youngest US President in history (Theodore Roosevelt became President at age 42).
Presidency (1934-1945)
Immediately needing to tackle the Great Depression, President Sanders implemented anti-unemployment programs promoting what he called “the new Three Rs – relief, recovery and reform.” He extensively traveled the nation, visiting all 48 states by the end of his first two years in office, in order to see first-hand what needed to get done. Sanders a somewhat Keynesian economic policy placing emphasis on minimizing unemployment through legislation meant to stabilize and expand purchasing power, ease credit conditions, and encourage consumer spending. Sanders also chose Franklin Roosevelt, a protégé of Al Smith, to serve as Secretary of the Treasury. By January 1936, the economy had greatly improved, and Sanders decided to run for a full term. After winning the nomination without heavy opposition, Sanders chose the popular Governor Ely of Massachusetts for running mate. Sanders then supported a progressive tax law in 1936 to compliment a concurrent law giving tax exemptions to small church branches – a polarizing “scandal” that nearly cost him (re-)election that November. After the election, Roosevelt became Secretary of State, and Sanders continued to oversee the nation’s economic recovery.
In 1939, Sanders announced that he would run in the 1940 election. This was controversial, as opponents considered the 1934-1937 term to have been his first term, meaning this would be breaking tradition in that Sanders would be running for a third term; supporters disagreed due to Sanders running for VP, not President, for the 1933-1937 term in 1932, and thus considered this campaign to be for a second term “of his own.” Due to his immense popularity, Sanders won the 1940 election in a landslide, after which he promoted early attempts to abolish the Electoral College.
Socially, Sanders supported racial equality, but outside of calling for a Voting Rights Act in 1941 and desegregating the U.S. Armed Forces in 1942, Sanders did not actively oppose the policies of the Southern states; instead, he focused on “bread and butter” issues that affected both non-white and poor white voters in the pursuit of the races “coming together through common ground.”
His 1941-1945 term began on a positive note as First Daughter Mildred became married to businessman John F. Ruggles Jr. of Kentucky. In December, though, the nation was attacked – the Japanese, launched an aerial assault on America’s Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii, and soon America was at war with the Axis Powers.
Now a wartime President, Sanders oversaw the war effort against the Nazis in Europe and the Japanese Empire in the pacific. The defending of the Philippines allowed Allied troops to keep Japan on the defense after January 1943. In Europe, Allied forces repelled the Nazis in the Balkan states in their attempt to take control over the Middle East, where they could use the region’s oil reserves to fuel their war machines. The resources spent in the Balkan campaigns put a drain on the front in Russia, leading to the Germans retreating from Stalingrad in 1942 and finally aborting plans to invade Great Britain. In early 1943, Italy switched sides, and by 1944, both Japan and Germany were losing ground.
Sanders was confident the war would conclude soon, but in a reversal of four years ago, Democrats urged him to run for another term. VP Ely declined re-nomination to instead push for an unconventional choice for VP – a woman! Her selection on top of Sanders’ nomination for an unprecedented “third term” made a sure-fire re-election into a nailbiter as voters contemplated if the nation was ready for a female VP. In the end, Sanders won. One month later, American forces crossed the German border. Within weeks, Hitler had been captured and Japan’s emperor was contemplating surrender (which he finally did in May, leading to his abdication and the partitioning of Japan).
Death (1945)
Sanders’ plans for social progress during his next term were cut short unexpectedly. On the night of March 27, most likely past midnight (so technically March 28), Sanders slipped down to the White House kitchen. At around roughly 1:20 AM, the President took a large bite out of a piece of chicken he had just prepared and cooked. For reasons not specifically understood, Sanders began choking, and slipped on some flour spilled onto the floor as he attempted to reach the door. Attempts to gain someone’s attention continued to fail and he soon passed out and passed away from poultry-based asphyxiation. Two Secret Servicemen on their routine routes discovered the body and attempted resuscitation before calling for help. While several pieces of chicken at the scene were consumed by an officer, the remaining pieces, including the leg from which the lodging piece came, were placed in a D.C. evidence locker until 1954, when they were destroyed in a fire.
Legacy (1945-present)
Considered one of the most important leaders of the 20th century, Davey Sanders maintains popularity both in the US and abroad. While his record on racial issues is not without controversy, his opening of America’s borders to European refugees saved thousands if not millions of lives and his political theories were emulated by the Democratic party for decades. Sanders’ Arkansas home, and his Indiana birthplace are now National Historic Sites, and his Presidential library is located in Little Rock. In 1970, his face replaced Andrew Jackson’s on the $20 dollar bill.
If Sanders had experienced a more unfortunate childhood…
Pic: https://imgur.com/XWRdE2A.png
Harland David Sanders (1890-1935), sometimes known by the nickname “Harland the Kid” (alternatively “Sanders the Kid,” or just “The Kid”) was an American gangster and businessman who obtained notoriety during the Prohibition Era as the leader and co-founder of the Indiana Outfit (also known as the Indiana Seven and, after gaining more members, the Indiana Eleven). His long-standing feud with Chicago Outfit boss Alphonse Capone ended when Sanders was imprisoned in 1932.
Sanders was born to low-income farmers in southern Indiana on September 9, 1890. After both of his parents died from illness when he was just five years old, he and his two siblings were sent to live with an abusive uncle in New Albany, Indiana. A runaway at age 12, Sanders soon found himself in Chicago, and began as a pickpocket before moving on the leading a gang of hoodlums who called themselves the Indiana Seven. After working as an amateur boxer, went into gang-leading full-time.
Sanders’ criminal activities increased after beginning to work the South Side of Chicago in 1911, and gradually shifted from robbery to bootlegging at the start of the 1920s. This was possible because he had also worked as a bouncer for a local crime boss in the mid-1910s before moving on to being a bodyguard for members of the criminal suppliers of alcohol at the start of the Prohibition Era (1920-1933), and soon made further connections in the bootlegger industry. “The Kid” may have been an ironic name given to him by his enemies, as Sanders was several years older than the typical crime leader of the era (9 years older than Capone, and 13 years older than John Dillinger). In 1925, fellow bootlegger Al “Scarface” Capone began a turf war against Sanders, with Capone controlling the north and Sanders controlling the south of the city. In 1927, a truce was temporarily established when the two gangsters serendipitously shared a train ride to Kansas City, a chance meeting which turned out to be a reportedly friendly interaction after they learned of their shared interests in trains and their respective charity works.
However, the truce was broken in 1928 for reasons still unclear. Capone’s increasingly violent business practices continued due to his connections to city police and Chicago Mayor William Hale Thompson, and the Sanders-Capone rivalry soon extended to charities, with each competing to be the one to donate the most to local food kitchens, hospitals and schools.
On June 18, 1931, a deadly shoot-out unfolded between members of the Indiana Outfit and members of the Chicago Outfit. The former suffered 10 casualties, while the latter suffered 2. Sanders retaliated by orchestrating the September 24 Massacre that killed 14 of Capone’s men in retaliation for the murder of Sander’s men, which had included 3 of his closest allies (Bugs Moran, Vinnie Drucci and Dean O’Banion). The deaths of Capone’s in broad daylight damaged Sanders’ reputation among the city’s populace and became a top case for agents of the Bureau of Investigation (the BOI). Believing in rumors that Sanders would be gunning directly for him next, Capone anonymously tipped off police investigators to Sanders’ hooch parlors, leading to Sanders’ arrest at one of said gin mills. The North Chicago Outfit fell apart soon afterwards, allowing Capone to effectively form a monopoly on the city’s supply of alcohol.
President Hoover hoped the Trial of Harland the Kid would benefit his campaign for re-election. In a highly publicized case, Sanders was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with no chance of parole for the first 15, in 1947, when he would be around 57 years old. Attempts to appeal failed. Some criticized the sentence as a being too light, making Hoover be seen as soft on crime to some voters; this only contributed to him losing the 1932 election in a landslide. Sanders was sent to Leavenworth Federal Penn in Kansas in November 1932.
Upon prohibition being repealed in 1933, Al Capone failed to switch to another racket, and so he adapted to the new economic situation by opening up a brewery – Scarface Beer was founded in 1934, and remained in operation until the IRS uncovered Capone’s double set of accounting books in 1946, alongside numerous other investigations for various crimes. By the time the charges reached trial, though, Capone was already dying from syphilis, and passed away in 1948 without ever having served time. Meanwhile, Sanders was transferred to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary after it began operation in August 1934. While there, he developed a variety of cooking skills, learning how to make chicken that was reportedly “incredibly delicious,” leading to him being known as the birdman of Alcatraz. Some observers believed he could be rehabilitated. However, in 1935, a group of prisoners convinced him to join them in a prison escape. The men fled the prison via boat to Oakland. While the other escapees fled south, Sanders headed north. At Crescent City, near the border of California, Sanders became cornered by BOI agents and was killed in a gunfight with police on September 27. The incident made the prison of Alcatraz well-known to Americans.
Several films and documentaries have been made about Harland the Kid, mostly concerning his complicated relationship with Al Capone and his years in Alcatraz. He remains a popular and iconic cultural figure of the Prohibition Era.
And finally, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the release of Weird Al's song "Albuquerque," there's this:
In an alternate universe where Weird Al Yankovic never got into comedy…
Albuquerque is a 2003 American psychological thriller/drama film written and directed by Alfred Yankovic. The film centers on the misadventures of a mentally unwell young man in the titular city. The film portrays themes of isolation, fear, paranoia, fate, conscience, circumstances, and violence. Albuquerque premiered at the May 2003 Cannes Film Festival before a theatrical release in the United States in September 2003, and was met with universal praise. The film won numerous awards and accolades, and garnered roughly $150million against a $20million budget. Since its release, Albuquerque has been cited for raising public awareness of issues concerning mental illness on numerous occasions.
Pic: https://imgur.com/PNh7pkR.png
PLOT
The film begins with a burned and injured man crawling through a desert while dragging along an assortment of items. Upon arriving at a Holiday Inn, he collapses. Through flashback, we see the poor conditions he lived under as a child raised by a mentally unwell single mother. Upon catching a break via winning a ticket to Albuquerque, the man escapes his mother’s rule, only to become the sole survivor of a horrific plane crash and have to crawl through the desert to reach the city. Catching up to where the film started, the man sells his survival story to the newspapers in order to pay for medical expenses and a room at the inn, only to be mugged, beaten, and robbed of his prized possession just moments after arriving at said room. After another hospital visit, the man seeks sustenance at a local eatery, only for its poor conditions to lead to him being ferociously attacked by a group of small carnivorous mammals. On his way to the hospital for a third time to seek treatment for the wounds, he meets a woman named Zelda and they form an instant connection. The film then presents a montage of their relationship leading to their marriage and having two sons together before jumping ahead five years. At home one night, the man and Zelda argue over a simple matter, demonstrating that the man’s trauma-rooted mental issues are still present. After the argument, the woman leaves him, and moves out of Albuquerque with the two sons (though she is “merciful enough” to not ask for alimony). Heartbroken but in denial of it, the man seeks to forget about them by dedicating himself to his new occupation at the local The Sizzler restaurant. His efforts to put out a workplace grease fire a short time later badly damages his face but seemingly boosts his self-esteem. However, with Zelda’s absence, the man’s mental condition only worsens. With his face still covered in bandages from the fire and thus unrecognizable to others, the man approaches his neighbor Marty moving furniture and, either through an intentional or unintentional misunderstanding, chops off the man’s limbs with a chainsaw, and leaves him there to bleed to death. Soon after, upon seeing in the news that the police still do not know whom killed Marty the neighbor, the now almost-psychotic man celebrates by killing a homeless man whom approached him to ask for food. The man then encounters in a store the items with which his mother would torture him all those years ago, sparking a psychotic breakdown in the store, leading to the owner calling the police. The responding officers attempt to apprehend the men, only for them to lose him after an on-foot chase sequence across a part of the city. The man, now fully insane like his mother, talks to himself about how much he loves the city (“there’s still a little place called Albuquerque”) as he begins wandering the desert at dusk while faintly laughing to himseld, his ultimate fate out there left unknown.
CAST
(in order of appearance):
Russell Brand as The Man
Helena Bonham Carter as The Mother of the Man
Taylor Lautner as The Man (at age 10)
Betsy Lynn Thompson and Carol Gwynn Thompson as The Albanian Twins
Petey Sanchez as Vomit Boy
Jan Scarlett as The Flight Attendant
Jonathan Silver Hawk as Inn Clerk #1
Priscilla Shirer as Inn Clerk #2
Michael Lee Aday as The Snorkel Stealer
James Franco as The Donut Shop Employee
Paula Jai Parker as Zelda
Zander Smith as Nathaniel
Jimmy Peterson as Super-Fly
Nick Yankovic as The Sizzler Manager
John Mulvaney as Sizzler Employee #1
Miriam Gutierrez as Sizzler Employee #2
Neil Breen as Marty
Tommy Wiseau as The Homeless Man
Dirk Blocker as The Chief of Police
Michael Chiklis as Police Officer #1
Mark Johnson as Police Officer #2
Brand was chosen for the main role out of over 400 people whom auditioned, including Neil Patrick Harris (whom was born in New Mexico), Yahoo Serious, and Johnny Depp (whom “loved” the script, and was almost cast, but turned down the role due to prior film commitments, a decision Depp later publicly regretted). Mark Strong was originally cast to play the Snorkel Stealer, only to withdraw from the project due to scheduling conflicts. Yankovic convinced his father, Nick Yankovic (1917-2009, 92, natural causes), to play a minor role, while his mother cameos in the background of three scenes. Co-producers Neil Breen and Tommy Wiseau played unaccredited minor cameos in the film for free.
PRODUCTION
Yankovic had worked with Wiseau before on The Bus Ride and Permanent Record, and had collaborated with Burton on The Nature Trail. This would be the first of several films on which Yankovic and Breen worked together, as Breen was a filmmaking neophyte at the time. Financing for the project was reportedly ease to obtain in the wake of Yankovic’s hit film One More Minute braking box office records in the summer of 2000. Yankovic first came up with the idea for Albuquerque in 1996 after visiting the city in 1995 during the search for a filming location for the 1998 film The Volcano Worshippers Club. Yankovic would revisit the city for a brief scene in the coming-of-age drama The White One. Yankovic wrote a “rough draft of the concept” in 1997, and finished the “semi-final copy” in early 1999. Filming occurred on location from August to November 2001; Yankovic purposely chose to film outdoor scenes on days with above 90 degree-Fahrenheit weather to “capture the feeling of overwhelming pressure,” reflecting the main character’s collapsing psyche onto the physical conditions of the area. All special effects were done with practical effects; the plane crash sequence, for instance, was accomplished with a large model airplane and a timed explosion. Danny Elfman composed most of the film’s musical score, with Kenny G and Yanni contributing with two brief segments. Music was minimized for scenes where a lack of music made the tense on-screen situation more dramatic. For other scenes, a “horror movie tempo” was used to heighten a “chilling” and “eerie” atmosphere. Sound editing and effects providers had collaborated with Yankovic on previous projects.
STYLE AND GENRE
Cinematographically, Yankovic went for a depiction of Albuquerque as being “magical but troubled.” Rated PG-13, Yankovic defended the gore depicted in the film, including a close-up of a torn jugular, by saying “it is an important part of the story,” as it contrasts with how “clean” the world around him seems to be at times. “The intensity of it does not glorify it,” defended LA Times’ Kenneth Turan, who added, “Yankovic is often brutal and realistic in order to shock the audience into asking introspect questions, not (just) for the sake of gratuity.” The film’s pacing is considered to be a healthy balance between slow and fast. Variety argues “the speed [of the film is] steady but entrancing,” and uses dramatic holds and energetic camera movements to create “a sense of surrealism.” Due to Albuquerque’s unique style and execution, the film is considered to span multiple genres, including drama, horror, and psychological thriller. Its western setting has made some critics like Paul Arendt of BBC call it a dramatic western while other critics, such as Richard Gillmore, disagree. Much has been discussed concerning the meaning of the film. The main character’s story arc depicts a mental deterioration resulting in the breakdown of a family unit, while the deterioration itself was the result of the main character’s childhood trauma. His activities later in the film parallelling the behavior of his mother suggest, though, that his mental breakdown was hereditary, and not exclusively the result of his upbringing. While many view Albuquerque as a warning against letting emotional and/or traumatic issues get the best of you, Yankovic has never publicly stated the exact purpose(s) and/or message(s) of Albuquerque.
RECEPTION
Upon its release, Albuquerque won 67 awards on 102 nominations across multiple organizations in total – including 3 Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Leading Actor/Actress), three of the UK’s National Academy Film and Television Awards (NAFTAs), two Golden Globes, and seven awards for its special effects. The American Film Institute named it the AFI Movie of the Year and the National Board of Review selected the film as the best of 2007. More critics included Albuquerque on their 2003 top ten lists than any other film, and many regard it as one of Yankovic’s best works. Albuquerque residents still applaud the film for it bringing national attention to the city's "wonders and problems." As of 2019, various sources still recognize it as one of the best films of its decade. The Guardian’s John Patterson wrote “Yankovic’s technical prowess and use of Western classicism are matched by few living directors” and compared him to Cecille B. DeMille, while Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it “a new height in Yankovic’s career…an incredibly captivating work of entertaining art.” In an official multi-organization 2016 poll, 186 film critics from around the world voted Albuquerque “the 11th best film of the 21st century.”
DAVEY SANDERS
If the Colonel had never punched out his own client in front of a judge while practicing law in Arkansas…
Pic: https://imgur.com/AxMq6RJ.png
Davey Sanders was an American politician who served as President of the United States from 1934 to 1945, roughly 11 years, longer than any other president. Domestically, President Sanders established worker programs to combat the Great Depression in his first term, and increased sanitation and safety standards in his second, along with promoting “good eatin’, good faith, and good doin’s” throughout his administration. Overseas, Sanders led the US to war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and was hailed for his leadership skills in concerning both the European and Pacific theaters of World War II. Shortly after beginning an unprecedented fourth term (his third elected term), Sanders died in office when he choked to death on a piece of chicken that he himself had prepared and cooked. Davey Sanders’ diverse background, jovial personality, optimistic attitude, and “everyman” demeanor resonated with the American people and ultimately led to him being seen as an iconic American both then and now – he is often ranked by polls and scholars as one of America’s Top Five greatest presidents.
Early Life (1890-1910)
Sanders was born in southern Indiana to Indianan parents. After his father died in 1895, his mother remarried, and Sanders went to live with an uncle to escape his stepfather’s abuse. Sanders dropped out of school at the start of the seventh grade due to his inability to understand algebra, and began working odd jobs on farms and towns across the Midwest. Sanders would hold a number of jobs in his early life, serving as a steam engine stoker in Alabama and an insurance salesman in Alabama before finding success in politics. After a brief stint in the Army from late 1906 to early 1907, Sanders began a career working on railroad lines for various companies. In 1909, Sanders found work laboring on the Norfolk and Western Railway lines, during which time he met and married Josephine King of Alabama. The couple ultimately had two daughters (Margaret Sanders 1910-2001; Mildred Sanders 1919-2010) and a son (Harland David Sanders Jr. 1912-2003). After working on the Illinois Central Railroad and moving with his new and growing family to Jackson, Tennessee, Sanders began studying law by correspondence through the La Salle Extension University in order to follow better employment prospects, and ultimately settled down with his family in Arkansas.
“Lawyerin’ Years” (1910-1922)
Sander’s law career began in the early-to-mid-1910s when he began practicing law in Little Rock, Arkansas. His legal career soared when he won a court case over a more academically qualified prosecutor; he subsequently retired from the railroad business to focus on law full-time.
Political Beginning (1922-1928)
In 1922, he successfully ran for a local office, and then successfully ran for the state senate in 1924. In 1926, he mounted a bid for Lieutenant Governor and won the Democratic primary against fellow state senator Harvey Parnell; Sanders was unopposed in the general election. Around this time, he began using the nickname "Davey" in order to emulate Davy Crockett.
Governorship (1928-1933)
In March 1928, Arkansas’ Governor Martineau resigned to take a federal judgeship seat, making Sanders the state’s 29th Governor. At the age of 37, Sanders was uncertain of his ability to lead, especially as he had never he held political office just seven years prior. Nevertheless, his charisma and energy won attention from the Democratic party’s southern leaders, whom invited him to give a speech at the 1928 DNC. At the convention, Sanders gave a rousing speech on behalf of US Senator Walter F. George of Georgia, possibly contributing to George winning the nomination over Governor Al Smith of New York (as a strongly “dry” politician, Sanders supported prohibition); Sanders received one delegate vote for VP.
The attention from the DNC speech boosted Sanders’ popularity, which helped him win a full term in November 1928 despite George concurrently losing the Presidential election to Herbert Hoover. Governor Sanders pushed through several progressive reforms that were popular in rural areas of the state. These reforms included expansion and modernization of the highway system and the public school system, both of which were issues to which Sanders personally connected. When the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression ravaged the Arkansas economy, Sanders’ “Work For Wellness” public works programs meant to limit unemployment were praised and he won the 1930 Democratic nomination by a landslide. His second term saw Arkansas become one of the more economically well-off states in the South, leading to its population rising as more entered seeking employment. This led to him increasing the number of “Work For Wellness” programs to accommodate the new residents. After talks with his wife and US Congressman Harvey Parnell, Sanders came to support women’s suffrage and appointed Hattie Caraway to a vacant seat in the US Senate in November 1931.
Vice Presidency (1933-1934)
In 1932, Al Smith ran “one more time” for the Democratic nomination, and won over Cordell Hull and John Nance Garner. Smith then reached out to “the peaceful warrior” Sanders, and offered him the VP slot despite Smith blaming Sanders for losing the nomination in 1928. However, Smith recognized the need to have the support of the party’s southern voters. Some historians, however, allege that Smith’s team did not expect Sanders to accept. Regardless, in the 1932 election, Smith/Sanders won by a surprisingly narrow margin.
In January, President-Elect Smith was shot and wounded by a Protestant extremist, but recovered and was sworn-in as America’s first Catholic President. As VP, Sanders was excluded from most cabinet meetings due to his opposition to Smith repealing Prohibition in 1933, but rather than complain, he began visiting states on behalf of the administration. Sander supported Smith’s 90-day prices-and-wages freeze of 1933, though. Later that year, Sanders began covering for the President as he began to fail to attend D.C. events. Smith was in failing health from the long-term effects of the bullet wounds left by the attempt on his life. Initially expecting a full recovery, his health only slowly worsened. On February 28, 1934, less than one year into office, Smith died, and Sanders was sworn into office at the age of 43, making him the second-youngest US President in history (Theodore Roosevelt became President at age 42).
Presidency (1934-1945)
Immediately needing to tackle the Great Depression, President Sanders implemented anti-unemployment programs promoting what he called “the new Three Rs – relief, recovery and reform.” He extensively traveled the nation, visiting all 48 states by the end of his first two years in office, in order to see first-hand what needed to get done. Sanders a somewhat Keynesian economic policy placing emphasis on minimizing unemployment through legislation meant to stabilize and expand purchasing power, ease credit conditions, and encourage consumer spending. Sanders also chose Franklin Roosevelt, a protégé of Al Smith, to serve as Secretary of the Treasury. By January 1936, the economy had greatly improved, and Sanders decided to run for a full term. After winning the nomination without heavy opposition, Sanders chose the popular Governor Ely of Massachusetts for running mate. Sanders then supported a progressive tax law in 1936 to compliment a concurrent law giving tax exemptions to small church branches – a polarizing “scandal” that nearly cost him (re-)election that November. After the election, Roosevelt became Secretary of State, and Sanders continued to oversee the nation’s economic recovery.
In 1939, Sanders announced that he would run in the 1940 election. This was controversial, as opponents considered the 1934-1937 term to have been his first term, meaning this would be breaking tradition in that Sanders would be running for a third term; supporters disagreed due to Sanders running for VP, not President, for the 1933-1937 term in 1932, and thus considered this campaign to be for a second term “of his own.” Due to his immense popularity, Sanders won the 1940 election in a landslide, after which he promoted early attempts to abolish the Electoral College.
Socially, Sanders supported racial equality, but outside of calling for a Voting Rights Act in 1941 and desegregating the U.S. Armed Forces in 1942, Sanders did not actively oppose the policies of the Southern states; instead, he focused on “bread and butter” issues that affected both non-white and poor white voters in the pursuit of the races “coming together through common ground.”
His 1941-1945 term began on a positive note as First Daughter Mildred became married to businessman John F. Ruggles Jr. of Kentucky. In December, though, the nation was attacked – the Japanese, launched an aerial assault on America’s Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii, and soon America was at war with the Axis Powers.
Now a wartime President, Sanders oversaw the war effort against the Nazis in Europe and the Japanese Empire in the pacific. The defending of the Philippines allowed Allied troops to keep Japan on the defense after January 1943. In Europe, Allied forces repelled the Nazis in the Balkan states in their attempt to take control over the Middle East, where they could use the region’s oil reserves to fuel their war machines. The resources spent in the Balkan campaigns put a drain on the front in Russia, leading to the Germans retreating from Stalingrad in 1942 and finally aborting plans to invade Great Britain. In early 1943, Italy switched sides, and by 1944, both Japan and Germany were losing ground.
Sanders was confident the war would conclude soon, but in a reversal of four years ago, Democrats urged him to run for another term. VP Ely declined re-nomination to instead push for an unconventional choice for VP – a woman! Her selection on top of Sanders’ nomination for an unprecedented “third term” made a sure-fire re-election into a nailbiter as voters contemplated if the nation was ready for a female VP. In the end, Sanders won. One month later, American forces crossed the German border. Within weeks, Hitler had been captured and Japan’s emperor was contemplating surrender (which he finally did in May, leading to his abdication and the partitioning of Japan).
Death (1945)
Sanders’ plans for social progress during his next term were cut short unexpectedly. On the night of March 27, most likely past midnight (so technically March 28), Sanders slipped down to the White House kitchen. At around roughly 1:20 AM, the President took a large bite out of a piece of chicken he had just prepared and cooked. For reasons not specifically understood, Sanders began choking, and slipped on some flour spilled onto the floor as he attempted to reach the door. Attempts to gain someone’s attention continued to fail and he soon passed out and passed away from poultry-based asphyxiation. Two Secret Servicemen on their routine routes discovered the body and attempted resuscitation before calling for help. While several pieces of chicken at the scene were consumed by an officer, the remaining pieces, including the leg from which the lodging piece came, were placed in a D.C. evidence locker until 1954, when they were destroyed in a fire.
Legacy (1945-present)
Considered one of the most important leaders of the 20th century, Davey Sanders maintains popularity both in the US and abroad. While his record on racial issues is not without controversy, his opening of America’s borders to European refugees saved thousands if not millions of lives and his political theories were emulated by the Democratic party for decades. Sanders’ Arkansas home, and his Indiana birthplace are now National Historic Sites, and his Presidential library is located in Little Rock. In 1970, his face replaced Andrew Jackson’s on the $20 dollar bill.
I should report Angus to the boss for destroying evidence. I came in and saw the leader of America cold and stiff on the floor of the White House kitchen. I bent down for a closer view of his dead-white face when I heard Angus munching on something, so I turned around. There Angus stood, masticating a small piece bitten off one of the chicken legs.
“Say, this is really good. Who made this?”
The chef stepped forward. “President Sanders, sir.”
“Really! I didn’t know he could cook.”
“Oh yes, sir. He liked to fiddle around with this fancy gizmo here,” gesturing to this contraption the chef referred to as a pressure fryer, whatever that is. Turns out, fighting the Nazis is quite stressful, and the President had been trying out new ways to make chicken to let off some steam from time to time. Some men have smokes and drinks and cards to temporarily forget what ails them. In this case, none of them were involved, yet the man in question still met his maker.
I walked over and forced the plate with the remaining pieces out of Angus’ hand. The surviving pieces of Angus’ appetite were given to Murphy to be put in the evidence fridge at the police station.
But Angus just continued to eat the evidence remaining in his hand. “Do you know where he kept the recipe?”
“Oh no, sir, he never wrote it down,” the Chef explained.
“Aw, that’s too bad,” Angus sadly uttered as he stared at the final segment of meat before taking it clean off the bone and slowly swallowing the last bite of Sanders’ wing. Licking his chops, he concluded, “Because that was one mighty fine bird.”
“Say, this is really good. Who made this?”
The chef stepped forward. “President Sanders, sir.”
“Really! I didn’t know he could cook.”
“Oh yes, sir. He liked to fiddle around with this fancy gizmo here,” gesturing to this contraption the chef referred to as a pressure fryer, whatever that is. Turns out, fighting the Nazis is quite stressful, and the President had been trying out new ways to make chicken to let off some steam from time to time. Some men have smokes and drinks and cards to temporarily forget what ails them. In this case, none of them were involved, yet the man in question still met his maker.
I walked over and forced the plate with the remaining pieces out of Angus’ hand. The surviving pieces of Angus’ appetite were given to Murphy to be put in the evidence fridge at the police station.
But Angus just continued to eat the evidence remaining in his hand. “Do you know where he kept the recipe?”
“Oh no, sir, he never wrote it down,” the Chef explained.
“Aw, that’s too bad,” Angus sadly uttered as he stared at the final segment of meat before taking it clean off the bone and slowly swallowing the last bite of Sanders’ wing. Licking his chops, he concluded, “Because that was one mighty fine bird.”
THE KID
If Sanders had experienced a more unfortunate childhood…
Pic: https://imgur.com/XWRdE2A.png
Harland David Sanders (1890-1935), sometimes known by the nickname “Harland the Kid” (alternatively “Sanders the Kid,” or just “The Kid”) was an American gangster and businessman who obtained notoriety during the Prohibition Era as the leader and co-founder of the Indiana Outfit (also known as the Indiana Seven and, after gaining more members, the Indiana Eleven). His long-standing feud with Chicago Outfit boss Alphonse Capone ended when Sanders was imprisoned in 1932.
Sanders was born to low-income farmers in southern Indiana on September 9, 1890. After both of his parents died from illness when he was just five years old, he and his two siblings were sent to live with an abusive uncle in New Albany, Indiana. A runaway at age 12, Sanders soon found himself in Chicago, and began as a pickpocket before moving on the leading a gang of hoodlums who called themselves the Indiana Seven. After working as an amateur boxer, went into gang-leading full-time.
Sanders’ criminal activities increased after beginning to work the South Side of Chicago in 1911, and gradually shifted from robbery to bootlegging at the start of the 1920s. This was possible because he had also worked as a bouncer for a local crime boss in the mid-1910s before moving on to being a bodyguard for members of the criminal suppliers of alcohol at the start of the Prohibition Era (1920-1933), and soon made further connections in the bootlegger industry. “The Kid” may have been an ironic name given to him by his enemies, as Sanders was several years older than the typical crime leader of the era (9 years older than Capone, and 13 years older than John Dillinger). In 1925, fellow bootlegger Al “Scarface” Capone began a turf war against Sanders, with Capone controlling the north and Sanders controlling the south of the city. In 1927, a truce was temporarily established when the two gangsters serendipitously shared a train ride to Kansas City, a chance meeting which turned out to be a reportedly friendly interaction after they learned of their shared interests in trains and their respective charity works.
However, the truce was broken in 1928 for reasons still unclear. Capone’s increasingly violent business practices continued due to his connections to city police and Chicago Mayor William Hale Thompson, and the Sanders-Capone rivalry soon extended to charities, with each competing to be the one to donate the most to local food kitchens, hospitals and schools.
On June 18, 1931, a deadly shoot-out unfolded between members of the Indiana Outfit and members of the Chicago Outfit. The former suffered 10 casualties, while the latter suffered 2. Sanders retaliated by orchestrating the September 24 Massacre that killed 14 of Capone’s men in retaliation for the murder of Sander’s men, which had included 3 of his closest allies (Bugs Moran, Vinnie Drucci and Dean O’Banion). The deaths of Capone’s in broad daylight damaged Sanders’ reputation among the city’s populace and became a top case for agents of the Bureau of Investigation (the BOI). Believing in rumors that Sanders would be gunning directly for him next, Capone anonymously tipped off police investigators to Sanders’ hooch parlors, leading to Sanders’ arrest at one of said gin mills. The North Chicago Outfit fell apart soon afterwards, allowing Capone to effectively form a monopoly on the city’s supply of alcohol.
President Hoover hoped the Trial of Harland the Kid would benefit his campaign for re-election. In a highly publicized case, Sanders was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with no chance of parole for the first 15, in 1947, when he would be around 57 years old. Attempts to appeal failed. Some criticized the sentence as a being too light, making Hoover be seen as soft on crime to some voters; this only contributed to him losing the 1932 election in a landslide. Sanders was sent to Leavenworth Federal Penn in Kansas in November 1932.
Upon prohibition being repealed in 1933, Al Capone failed to switch to another racket, and so he adapted to the new economic situation by opening up a brewery – Scarface Beer was founded in 1934, and remained in operation until the IRS uncovered Capone’s double set of accounting books in 1946, alongside numerous other investigations for various crimes. By the time the charges reached trial, though, Capone was already dying from syphilis, and passed away in 1948 without ever having served time. Meanwhile, Sanders was transferred to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary after it began operation in August 1934. While there, he developed a variety of cooking skills, learning how to make chicken that was reportedly “incredibly delicious,” leading to him being known as the birdman of Alcatraz. Some observers believed he could be rehabilitated. However, in 1935, a group of prisoners convinced him to join them in a prison escape. The men fled the prison via boat to Oakland. While the other escapees fled south, Sanders headed north. At Crescent City, near the border of California, Sanders became cornered by BOI agents and was killed in a gunfight with police on September 27. The incident made the prison of Alcatraz well-known to Americans.
Several films and documentaries have been made about Harland the Kid, mostly concerning his complicated relationship with Al Capone and his years in Alcatraz. He remains a popular and iconic cultural figure of the Prohibition Era.
And finally, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the release of Weird Al's song "Albuquerque," there's this:
ALBUQUERQUE
In an alternate universe where Weird Al Yankovic never got into comedy…
Apparently (according to Wikipedia), IOTL, a door-to-door salesman offered Weird Al’s parents a choice of guitar or accordion lessons at a local music school the day before his sixth birthday. According to Yankovic, his parents chose accordion because “they figured there should be at least one more accordion-playing Yankovic in the world,” referring to musician Frankie Yankovic (no relation). Yankovic also claimed his “parents chose the accordion because they were convinced it would revolutionize rock.” Maybe here, that salesman never drops by for some reason, or maybe his parents get him the guitar lessons instead the accordion lessons because “there’s already an accordion-playing Yankovic” in the world. Maybe playing the guitar leads to Al becoming popular in school and developing a non-funny “cool” demeanor as he matures. Or maybe Yankovic does revolutionize rock with the accordion and ends up developing a more serious attitude in the process. Or something else, I dunno; this is just food for thought, really…
Albuquerque is a 2003 American psychological thriller/drama film written and directed by Alfred Yankovic. The film centers on the misadventures of a mentally unwell young man in the titular city. The film portrays themes of isolation, fear, paranoia, fate, conscience, circumstances, and violence. Albuquerque premiered at the May 2003 Cannes Film Festival before a theatrical release in the United States in September 2003, and was met with universal praise. The film won numerous awards and accolades, and garnered roughly $150million against a $20million budget. Since its release, Albuquerque has been cited for raising public awareness of issues concerning mental illness on numerous occasions.
Pic: https://imgur.com/PNh7pkR.png
PLOT
The film begins with a burned and injured man crawling through a desert while dragging along an assortment of items. Upon arriving at a Holiday Inn, he collapses. Through flashback, we see the poor conditions he lived under as a child raised by a mentally unwell single mother. Upon catching a break via winning a ticket to Albuquerque, the man escapes his mother’s rule, only to become the sole survivor of a horrific plane crash and have to crawl through the desert to reach the city. Catching up to where the film started, the man sells his survival story to the newspapers in order to pay for medical expenses and a room at the inn, only to be mugged, beaten, and robbed of his prized possession just moments after arriving at said room. After another hospital visit, the man seeks sustenance at a local eatery, only for its poor conditions to lead to him being ferociously attacked by a group of small carnivorous mammals. On his way to the hospital for a third time to seek treatment for the wounds, he meets a woman named Zelda and they form an instant connection. The film then presents a montage of their relationship leading to their marriage and having two sons together before jumping ahead five years. At home one night, the man and Zelda argue over a simple matter, demonstrating that the man’s trauma-rooted mental issues are still present. After the argument, the woman leaves him, and moves out of Albuquerque with the two sons (though she is “merciful enough” to not ask for alimony). Heartbroken but in denial of it, the man seeks to forget about them by dedicating himself to his new occupation at the local The Sizzler restaurant. His efforts to put out a workplace grease fire a short time later badly damages his face but seemingly boosts his self-esteem. However, with Zelda’s absence, the man’s mental condition only worsens. With his face still covered in bandages from the fire and thus unrecognizable to others, the man approaches his neighbor Marty moving furniture and, either through an intentional or unintentional misunderstanding, chops off the man’s limbs with a chainsaw, and leaves him there to bleed to death. Soon after, upon seeing in the news that the police still do not know whom killed Marty the neighbor, the now almost-psychotic man celebrates by killing a homeless man whom approached him to ask for food. The man then encounters in a store the items with which his mother would torture him all those years ago, sparking a psychotic breakdown in the store, leading to the owner calling the police. The responding officers attempt to apprehend the men, only for them to lose him after an on-foot chase sequence across a part of the city. The man, now fully insane like his mother, talks to himself about how much he loves the city (“there’s still a little place called Albuquerque”) as he begins wandering the desert at dusk while faintly laughing to himseld, his ultimate fate out there left unknown.
CAST
(in order of appearance):
Russell Brand as The Man
Helena Bonham Carter as The Mother of the Man
Taylor Lautner as The Man (at age 10)
Betsy Lynn Thompson and Carol Gwynn Thompson as The Albanian Twins
Petey Sanchez as Vomit Boy
Jan Scarlett as The Flight Attendant
Jonathan Silver Hawk as Inn Clerk #1
Priscilla Shirer as Inn Clerk #2
Michael Lee Aday as The Snorkel Stealer
James Franco as The Donut Shop Employee
Paula Jai Parker as Zelda
Zander Smith as Nathaniel
Jimmy Peterson as Super-Fly
Nick Yankovic as The Sizzler Manager
John Mulvaney as Sizzler Employee #1
Miriam Gutierrez as Sizzler Employee #2
Neil Breen as Marty
Tommy Wiseau as The Homeless Man
Dirk Blocker as The Chief of Police
Michael Chiklis as Police Officer #1
Mark Johnson as Police Officer #2
Brand was chosen for the main role out of over 400 people whom auditioned, including Neil Patrick Harris (whom was born in New Mexico), Yahoo Serious, and Johnny Depp (whom “loved” the script, and was almost cast, but turned down the role due to prior film commitments, a decision Depp later publicly regretted). Mark Strong was originally cast to play the Snorkel Stealer, only to withdraw from the project due to scheduling conflicts. Yankovic convinced his father, Nick Yankovic (1917-2009, 92, natural causes), to play a minor role, while his mother cameos in the background of three scenes. Co-producers Neil Breen and Tommy Wiseau played unaccredited minor cameos in the film for free.
PRODUCTION
Yankovic had worked with Wiseau before on The Bus Ride and Permanent Record, and had collaborated with Burton on The Nature Trail. This would be the first of several films on which Yankovic and Breen worked together, as Breen was a filmmaking neophyte at the time. Financing for the project was reportedly ease to obtain in the wake of Yankovic’s hit film One More Minute braking box office records in the summer of 2000. Yankovic first came up with the idea for Albuquerque in 1996 after visiting the city in 1995 during the search for a filming location for the 1998 film The Volcano Worshippers Club. Yankovic would revisit the city for a brief scene in the coming-of-age drama The White One. Yankovic wrote a “rough draft of the concept” in 1997, and finished the “semi-final copy” in early 1999. Filming occurred on location from August to November 2001; Yankovic purposely chose to film outdoor scenes on days with above 90 degree-Fahrenheit weather to “capture the feeling of overwhelming pressure,” reflecting the main character’s collapsing psyche onto the physical conditions of the area. All special effects were done with practical effects; the plane crash sequence, for instance, was accomplished with a large model airplane and a timed explosion. Danny Elfman composed most of the film’s musical score, with Kenny G and Yanni contributing with two brief segments. Music was minimized for scenes where a lack of music made the tense on-screen situation more dramatic. For other scenes, a “horror movie tempo” was used to heighten a “chilling” and “eerie” atmosphere. Sound editing and effects providers had collaborated with Yankovic on previous projects.
STYLE AND GENRE
Cinematographically, Yankovic went for a depiction of Albuquerque as being “magical but troubled.” Rated PG-13, Yankovic defended the gore depicted in the film, including a close-up of a torn jugular, by saying “it is an important part of the story,” as it contrasts with how “clean” the world around him seems to be at times. “The intensity of it does not glorify it,” defended LA Times’ Kenneth Turan, who added, “Yankovic is often brutal and realistic in order to shock the audience into asking introspect questions, not (just) for the sake of gratuity.” The film’s pacing is considered to be a healthy balance between slow and fast. Variety argues “the speed [of the film is] steady but entrancing,” and uses dramatic holds and energetic camera movements to create “a sense of surrealism.” Due to Albuquerque’s unique style and execution, the film is considered to span multiple genres, including drama, horror, and psychological thriller. Its western setting has made some critics like Paul Arendt of BBC call it a dramatic western while other critics, such as Richard Gillmore, disagree. Much has been discussed concerning the meaning of the film. The main character’s story arc depicts a mental deterioration resulting in the breakdown of a family unit, while the deterioration itself was the result of the main character’s childhood trauma. His activities later in the film parallelling the behavior of his mother suggest, though, that his mental breakdown was hereditary, and not exclusively the result of his upbringing. While many view Albuquerque as a warning against letting emotional and/or traumatic issues get the best of you, Yankovic has never publicly stated the exact purpose(s) and/or message(s) of Albuquerque.
RECEPTION
Upon its release, Albuquerque won 67 awards on 102 nominations across multiple organizations in total – including 3 Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Leading Actor/Actress), three of the UK’s National Academy Film and Television Awards (NAFTAs), two Golden Globes, and seven awards for its special effects. The American Film Institute named it the AFI Movie of the Year and the National Board of Review selected the film as the best of 2007. More critics included Albuquerque on their 2003 top ten lists than any other film, and many regard it as one of Yankovic’s best works. Albuquerque residents still applaud the film for it bringing national attention to the city's "wonders and problems." As of 2019, various sources still recognize it as one of the best films of its decade. The Guardian’s John Patterson wrote “Yankovic’s technical prowess and use of Western classicism are matched by few living directors” and compared him to Cecille B. DeMille, while Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it “a new height in Yankovic’s career…an incredibly captivating work of entertaining art.” In an official multi-organization 2016 poll, 186 film critics from around the world voted Albuquerque “the 11th best film of the 21st century.”
The one that ended up in the wikibox:
Pic: https://imgur.com/EYCHvN6.png
And the ones that didn’t make the cut:
Pic: https://imgur.com/vGtL3Zl.png
Pic: https://imgur.com/pUzTirz.png
Pic: https://imgur.com/X3ysi6O.png
Pic: https://imgur.com/GsZ3mz6.png
Also, I thought having him in a Santa outfit added to the zaniness. Too much?
Pic: https://imgur.com/EYCHvN6.png
And the ones that didn’t make the cut:
Pic: https://imgur.com/vGtL3Zl.png
Pic: https://imgur.com/pUzTirz.png
Pic: https://imgur.com/X3ysi6O.png
Pic: https://imgur.com/GsZ3mz6.png
Also, I thought having him in a Santa outfit added to the zaniness. Too much?
We should close the thread right now-nothing will ever top this.
Further details will be talked about in my Amuaplye infobox TL.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...l-republic-of-amuaplye-asb-wikibox-tl.464614/
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